Landlord's racial letter sparks complaint

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Published: March 13, 2008 at 12:06 PM

LASALLE, Ontario, March 13 (UPI) -- An interracial couple outside

Windsor, Ontario, is challenging their landlord over a letter in which a mold

complaint was answered with racial references.

and Cardwell of Lasalle told the Windsor Star they informed

their landlord a contractor had confirmed their house had a black mold

infestation that needed to be addressed quickly, as it was causing respiratory

problems among their four children, who range in age from 2 to 14 years old.

In a March 7 written response, landlord Olga Crocker suggested the problem was

caused by negligence and ended on a racial note, the newspaper reported.

" May I point out that, realizing that black people and those of mixed

relationships have considerable difficulty finding housing, I decided to trust

you. Evidently, this was a very stupid mistake on my part. "

Contacted by the Star, Crocker claimed she had done nothing wrong.

" In any event, I'm a private individual. I'm entitled to my own prejudices. I'm

not the government, I don't hire anyone. Is there a law against being a bigot? "

she said.

The Cardwells are preparing complaints to the Landlord and Tenant Board and the

Ontario Human Rights Commission, the newspaper said.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/03/13/landlords_racial_letter_sparks_\

complaint/9977/

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